Pope Francis has ordered a “thorough study” of all documents in Holy See offices concerning disgraced former US cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Vigano accused a long list of current and past Vatican and US church officials of covering up for 88-year-old McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington DC and called on the pope to resign. The letter, combined with a recent spate of sexual abuse crises in several countries, has thrown the Catholic Church into turmoil. But the Vatican statement also appeared to suggest that wrong decisions and mistakes may have been made regarding McCarrick in the past. Last week, Benedict’s doctrinal chief, Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, said he knew nothing about any formal or informal sanctions against McCarrick.

Source: The Irish Times October 06, 2018 17:48 UTC